Recreational divers, post your rig here, let's share good and bad ideas

[SelfDiver]

Brass is great
View attachment 886619

His gear is just wonderful, every time I look, I find something else.
The Octopus regulator connected to the D-ring with the rubber keeper and there are two metal rings on that same D-ring. One for the camera and the red carabiner for the computer.
In the picture with the camera, the octopus and computer are gone. Is it too crowded?
On the left chest D-ring, there is a plastic hose clip keeper for something. I am guessing it is for the Pony SPG because the non-sided second stage from the Pony has a rubber necklace for some reason so I assume it comes from the left and the hose looks too short to wrap around the neck. But the mess of metal rings look like they are made to entangle with the plastic hose clip.
The bottom right has a snap-buckle that has a single snap clip on a zip tie. What is that for?
There are three retractable entangler thingies but the camera has two clips on metal rings and an extra metal ring on the light arm, for safety, I guess.

@LI-er
I think you are wonderful exactly the way you are. Feel free to DM me, because I would enjoy trading beers and stories with you. Your gear choices certainly look like you started diving 45 years ago.

 

[LI-er]

His gear is just wonderful, every time I look, I find something else.

I know, right? There's a lot going on, again you're looking at 45 years of tweaking the details and I wasn't joking about the OCD. I'm trying to think if there's something you might have missed but I think you got all of it.

The Octopus regulator connected to the D-ring with the rubber keeper

That's not an octopus on the rubber keeper it's my primary, it's stored there between dives to keep it off the bench (explained in the first post).

two metal rings on that same D-ring. One for the camera and the red carabiner for the computer.

The red clip is a lightweight aluminum or plastic gadget I pulled from a keyring, it's used only to store the computers between dives, and yes the other ring is for the camera, there is one on each D ring. I clip the camera off to them when not holding it during the dive, and at the start and end of each dive.

In the picture with the camera, the octopus and computer are gone. Is it too crowded?

Again, it's not an octopus it's the primary regulator and the computers are on my wrists during the dive, the picture is to show how the BCD is configured during the dive.

On the left chest D-ring, there is a plastic hose clip keeper for something. I am guessing it is for the Pony SPG because the non-sided second stage from the Pony has a rubber necklace for some reason so I assume it comes from the left and the hose looks too short to wrap around the neck.

There is no pony spg, just the transmitter that sends the tank pressure to the the computer on my left arm. I stuck that hose holder on there after my last dive trip, I haven't used it yet, but on the next set of dives I want to see if I can run the pony hose through it to make it more comfortable as the it tends to pull on the regulator, which (you are correct) doesn't wrap around my neck. That hose holder might ultimately be clipped in a different spot or I'll just toss it if it doesn't do the job. I suspect it's too low to do any good.

But the mess of metal rings look like they are made to entangle with the plastic hose clip.

You may be right, but I haven't tried it yet, I don't know where that hose clip will actually be clipped or if it will even work as intended (it probably won't, it's too low). The camera clips hang straight down and the stony clip pulls to the side when the tank is hooked to it so they don't conflict. Those hanging quick links and round rings for the camera do not hang up on anything, I've changed them several times with different size clips for optimum size & length. In fact they were even longer at one point. The reason I don't just clip the camera directly to the D rings is that it's much easier to clip and unclip as there's a bit more slack in the configuration, it's not right up against my neck where I sort of have to fumble for it, and I can even leave the camera clipped and just lift it up and see through the viewfinder if I need to get a quick video of something going by.

The bottom right has a snap-buckle that has a single snap clip on a zip tie. What is that for?

Explained earlier (as was most everything else). It's a 3rd attachment point for my camera, it attaches to the metal round ring that is zip tied to one of the camera video lights (see first or second picture), to bring the bottom of the camera (which is otherwise hanging from the D rings) up & against my torso when close to the bottom, or in a wreck, when I'm not using the camera for long periods or at the end of a dive.

Thanks again for the time you clearly put into this, your non insulting critique and good questions, and for bringing up possible issues with the stony regulator hose. Other than making it longer or bungeeing it to the tank, if you have any other routing suggestions I'd really like to hear them.

 

[LI-er]

@LI-er, it has been excruciatingly painful waiting for someone to pontificate (endlessly) about the miraculous virtues of diving a backplate and wing configuration, but regrettably it hasn't happened. It appears to me you exhausted the limitations of your jacket BC long ago. [/QUOTE]

I've been thinking about a BW/Wings but for now I'm good. If I got one of those I'd be sticking pockets all over it and ultimately it wouldn't be all that different from the BCD I have now.

If and when this BCD has a major problem I'll definitely be looking into it, thanks.

 

[LI-er]

A leak might end your dive but it's not an instant death sentence.

And a zillion other things? Who's being unrealistic?

Ok maybe not a zillion. But having the mindset that "nothing will go wrong because I take care of my gear therefore I don't need a backup plan" is not a good strategy, and Murphy would agree with me.

An example of when backup gas might be helpful comes to mind. I was doing the Jupiter Wreck Trek several years ago, diving solo. I entered that second wreck- the Esso Bonaire, where you sort of swim up a sandy incline as you enter the wreck, and you can go in quite a ways into a closed compartment. Visibility was clear, no need to run a line. I got to the back of the compartment, maybe 50 feet inside when I surprised a large Goliath who kicked up a load of silt in his haste to get away from me.

Visibility was zero, and I had to carefully retrace my steps. What if it took longer to find my way out? Maybe I could have waited for the silt to settle if I had extra gas or at least had the time to work my out of the wreck?

Or you plan to surface at the end of a dive and there's a boat buzzing around above your head and you prefer to wait it out rather than surfacing into the path of an incoming boat.

Or the current changes direction and it kicks up quite a bit and you've either got a long surface swim back to the boat or entry point, or you can drop to depth against what is usually less current and an easier and safe swim but you need the extra gas. This happened to me in the Caymens on Sunshine house reef in 2010. I drained the pony swimming back to shore along the bottom where there was less current. We found out later there was an advisory in effect and we never should have been rented gear. I am not absolving myself of blame for not checking local conditions.

Stuff happens.

 

[Blackcrusader]

Visibility was clear, no need to run a line. I got to the back of the compartment, maybe 50 feet inside when I surprised a large Goliath who kicked up a load of silt in his haste to get away from me.

Visibility was zero, and I had to carefully retrace my steps. What if it took longer to find my way out? Maybe I could have waited for the silt to settle if I had extra gas or at least had the time to work my out of the wreck?

Stuff happens.

Or maybe you should have run a line anyway as conditions can change at any time. Your error was assuming you didn't need to run a line when you should have.

 

[LI-er]

I’d like to know how many rec divers have drowned because they couldn’t detach themselves from a metal clip. It’s hilarious.

The concept comes from cave/wreck penetration where a piece of equipment might cause a diver to get "keyholed." In such a situation, a diver might not be able to reach the trigger of the snap or relieve tension on the snap, and free themselves. The non-metal connection would at least allow them an opportunity to cut the connection and extricate themselves.

i am surprised you didn't know this as a wreck diver.

@Celt didn't say he "didn't know this" he said he'd like to know how often it's happened and caused a drowning because a diver couldn't extract himself from a metal to metal connection.

 

[LI-er]

I'd leave off a couple of computers and the earplugs, maybe one of the knives and 5-10 of the extra rings and retractors, and bring the spare mask instead.

You'd leave off a "couple of computers".

One is my primary, the second is for my stony bottle and the 3rd is a backup that sits in the bottom of the pocket. Not seeing the issue.

Also when I upload my dives to my log software sometimes the computer craps out (it's an older Oceanic) so I pull the data from the backup.

 

[LI-er]

Your error was assuming you didn't need to run a line when you should have.

You're not wrong, however given the clear visibility I made the choice not to and found myself in an unexpected situation as result. Sometimes gear can help compensate for bad decisions.

 

[LI-er]

You carry extra air, but don't realize that you use a lot more air by dragging around that floating dive shop with you. You would probably have longer dives if you streamlined your rig by taking only what you actually need.

Sure I could lose the stony bottle, the camera, the reel, the smb, my dive torch, my corrugated hose mounted backup shears, my dive knife, the pocket with foldable snorkel and whistle, and be really streamlined.

No thanks.

 

[LI-er]

Where is the spare mask?

Spare mask is in the save-a-dive-kit.

Do you have a line cutter?

XS Scuba knife is also a shears/line cutter along with the shears on my BCD corrugated hose. I had carried a Trilobyte line cutter in a sheath on my corrugated hose at one point but found it too bulky.

Can you use the lift bag as redundant buoyancy?

I don't carry a lift bag.

Do you not know how to set up a stage/pony/deco bottle? Is DIN available?

Yes, is there something about my stony bottle rigging that puts you off other than the necklaced regulator? I'm good with yoke.

Do you take out the shears and oil them?

No. I oil the knife occasionally.

You have a clip for the reel and a clip for the line on the reel and a clip on the surface marker. There might be better ways but if it works...

I'm open to suggestions. But now that you mention it, I could probably lose the clip on the SMB.

The pressure guage is interesting. High friction Miflex hose comes over the shoulder and has a small guage. You have a transmitter pod on the small tank and a Guage on the main tank. The inflator and guage hose are attached to each other. I love everything about it.
And the air horn...chef's kiss

The mini spg for the main tank is a backup for the primary tank AI (that I use on both tanks), one wrist receiver computer on each arm. Yes the inflator and spg gauge hose are attached to one another with ziplines to streamline it. The integrated airhorn also eliminates some bulk.

Thanks for the kiss but I'm not like that.